Tableting has always required balancing the need for a tablet which will withstand the stress of manufacturing, packaging and storage without breaking or fracturing with the need for a tablet which will disintegrate to make the ingredient available for dissolution and absorption. It is known that a hard compact tablet can be produced which will pass completely through the body.
The solution to this problem has been approached in many ways. One method is to use so called "super disintegrators" such as Ac-Di-Sol.RTM., available from FMC Corp., Philadelphia, Pa., a modified cellulose gum which promotes disintegration of a swallowable tablet in the stomach.
This invention provides another answer to the problem with a granulating composition which promotes active disintegration, can be used with normal tablet manufacturing procedures and provides a tablet with suitable handling characteristics. The composition can also be used advantageously with ingredients which are difficult to compress with normal tableting procedures.